Obama and Boehner Close to Major Deal, Officials Say — WASHINGTON —The Obama administration has informed Democratic Congressional leaders that President Obama and Speaker John A. Boehner were starting to close in on a major budget deal that would enact substantial spending cuts …

Boehner: GOP prepared to compromise — Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Thursday he has prepared his members to compromise on the debt ceiling and that a majority of House Republicans could support a potential deal with Democrats. — In a news conference at the Capitol …

Out from under the anti-tax pledge — WITH A HANDFUL of exceptions, every Republican member of Congress has signed a pledge against increasing taxes. Would allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire as scheduled in 2012 violate this vow? We posed this question to Grover Norquist …

Huntsman campaign manager Susie Wiles resigns — Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman's (R) presidential campaign manager, Susie Wiles, is resigning and will be replaced by communications director Matt David, according to the campaign. — Huntsman is announcing the changes to his staff at a meeting this afternoon.

Huntsman's Campaign Manager Resigns — Jon M. Huntsman Jr.'s campaign manager has resigned less than a month after Mr. Huntsman began his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, officials for the campaign confirmed on Thursday. — The manager, Susie Wiles, who had helped Rick Scott …

Gay ‘Barbarians’ Demand Ex-Gay ‘Discipline’ From Bachmann Clinic — Today a group of gay “barbarians” descended upon Marcus Bachmann's Christian counseling center to protest the harmful ex-gay therapy offered there. During a radio interview in 2010, Bachmann compared gay people to “barbarians” who need to be “disciplined.”

How to Turn Republicans and Democrats Into Americans — An insider's six-step plan to fix Congress — ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED, American voters went to the polls in November 2010 to “take back” their country. Just as they had done in 2008. And 2006. And repeatedly for decades …

Draft eurozone proposal document — A draft of the eurozone proposal document has been leaked from the summit in Brussels. We publish it in full here. — A draft of the proposal document has been leaked from the eurozone summit in Brussels.

Home Depot Co-Founder: Obama Is Choking Recovery — Bernie Marcus co-founded Home Depot (HD) in 1978 and brought it public in 1981 as the U.S. was suffering from the worst recession and unemployment in 40 years. The company thrived, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and redefining home improvement retailing.

Wall St. Makes Fallback Plans for Debt Crisis — Lawmakers in Washington are racing to reach a deal to save the country from defaulting on its debt, but on Wall Street, financial players are devising doomsday plans in case the clock runs out. — These companies are taking steps to reduce …

U.S. loses $1.3 billion in exiting Chrysler — NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — U.S. taxpayers likely lost $1.3 billion in the government bailout of Chrysler, the Treasury Department announced Thursday. — The government recently sold its remaining 6% stake in the company to Italian automaker Fiat …

Why I oppose the Gang of Six plan — If you'd like to understand the details of the Gang of Six plan, please read my (quite long) earlier post. — I strongly oppose the Gang of Six plan. I think it is absolutely terrible fiscal policy. — First I'll flag a few things I like in the plan.

When Rahm's Temper Made a Comeback — To view this video you must to have Flash Player 9.0 or later installed. Click to download the most recent version of Flash. — In dealing with the press, Mayor Rahm Emanuel often tries to emulate his former boss, President Barack Obama.

One Big, Happy Polygamous Family — SINCE the Supreme Court's 2003 decision in Lawrence v. Texas, Americans have enjoyed unprecedented freedom in their lifestyles and private relationships. The decision held that states could no longer use the criminal code for social engineering …